Richard And Martha Roy Celebrate 55 Years Of Marriage

Richard, who was raised in Rumford, Me., and Martha in Paris, Ark., met in Los Angeles in June of 1950 while he was stationed in Camp Pendleton. Shipped to Korea in July, Richard received a Dear John letter from Martha and thought it was over with.

After returning from Korea and while finishing his four-year hitch in the Marine Corps in Paris Island, S.C., he started writing her again. They met in May when he got discharged in Little Rock, Ark. and became engaged. Married June 6, 1953, they raised six boys and a girl. Richard retired in 1995 after 50 years, from a manufacturer's representative business he owned with a partner.

After driving through Payson once and living in Orange County for 31 years, the couple moved to Payson in December of 1996. Richard keeps busy working with St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank, the Marine Corps League and caring for Martha, who has developed Alzheimer's.